Why Daddy?
by N.V.9
Summary: My Daddy was a traveler. He went everywhere. Did everything. And now... Now my Daddy is coming home. COMPLETE


**Look toward profile/bio for disclaimer and anything else involving this story.**

...Sequal to Hey daddy...

He sat on the grey uncomfortable bench, the cushions as soft as rocks on his backside. His legs barely reaching the floor as he held his gift, wrapped in pretty blue paper and a yellow ribbon, in his lap.  
Beside him, his mom sat quietly, her hands nervously twitching in her lap as her eyes stayed glued to the metal door guarded by two men.

They had been sitting there for over fifteen minutes, a life time for any eight year old, but to Naruto, time seemed to have frozen.

His mom had told him yesterday, that after years of waiting and wishing, he was finally going to have his dream come true. He was finally going to get his daddy. In that moment, he had been so excited, so happy and filled with laughter that he had jumped and danced around the room with his dog, scaring the cat in the process. But even then he didn't care enough to calm himself.

Finally he wouldn't be the only kid in the classroom without his daddy. He wouldn't be the only one that couldn't bring their daddy to school. He wouldn't be the only one whos daddy missed all his little leage games. No longer would other people get to keep his daddy. Finally, his daddy was coming home.

His mom had told them that they would be picking him up today, so with that in mind, Naruto went about wrapping up the book he had been keeping since he was little. The book was filled with pictures of his daddy's travels, that he had found in books, magazines, and the internet. Each picture picked with care and delicatly glued to the white pages with help of his mom. Each one labled and dated on the day his daddy said he'd been there.

It was filled with adventures, dreams, and...

Lies.

Even now, he was too numb to understand what was going on. Instead of heading toward the airport like he thought they would, his mom had turned the car onto an isolated road. He had been to the airport before, and he knew that this wasn't right. They weren't on the right exit. The exit they took said 27. Naruto knew the exit to the airport said 36. In the silence that followed, Naruto had looked around in confusion before he dared to question where they were going.

In answer, his mom had started to tear up, and in a broken voice, told him a story. The story consisted of two young people in love, both of them fresh out of school. They had been each others worlds and planned to get married, but that didn't happen. Instead the man did something bad, did something he couldn't take back. He had taken a life, driving when he shouldn't have been.

His mom told him of the family that lost their mom and baby brother, because the man had been drinking. She said that the man never drank in his life but had done so when he found out the girl was pregnant. He had only did a bad thing because he didn't know what else to do. His mom said they were still kids, and had no idea what to do and because of that, the man went away for a little while.

His daddy went away for a little while and now he was coming back.

Hearing his mom's breath hitch, Naruto lifted his head, and turned to face her. Seeing her eyes water, he turned toward the door, and stilled as it was slowly being open. On the otherside was a man that looked like him. The same blonde hair and blue eyes. The same face but older. Naruto always wondered what his daddy would look like, how is smile would be or how tall he was. He had built up an amazing image of his daddy, only because he had an old picture to build off of. In all of his fantasies, his daddy didn't look like this; his clothes wrinkled and ill fitting on his form.

"Minato..." his mom whispered before she was off, running into his arms and crying into the man's chest. Forgetting that Naruto was sitting right beside her.

Even as he watched them reunite, Naruto couldn't decide what to do. He wanted to cry and hug the man but at the same time, he was so angry and confused. Why did they lie to him? Why didn't they tell him? Why... did he believe them?

Putting his head down, Naruto listened to them talking and his mom crying. Inside he was so angry. So mad. He had trusted them. Believed them and he felt like such a fool. Every time he talked to his daddy, the man had lied to him. Had abused his rights as a father. He had broken Naruto's innocent heart, and Naruto had no idea that it was happening. Every picture he had put in the book lovingly, every time he had looked a place up, telling his friends what his daddy told him... how could they do this to him?

"Naruto?" the man said, kneeling in front of him. Naruto didn't bother to lift his head. Didn't bother to look at him. He was always told not to lie. To always tell the truth, and yet they did what he wasn't supposed to do. Why were they the exception to the rule that everyone was meant to follow? "Baby?"

"Why daddy?" he whispered, feeling the tears building in his eyes, his hands clenching around the present.

"I'm sorry, baby." his daddy said gruffly. "I wanted to tell you... but I didn't want you to be ashamed of me."

"Didn't you want me?" Was it his fault his daddy got locked away? Was it his fault his daddy did something bad and... It had to have been, otherwise his mom and his daddy would have been married and his daddy wouldn't be here. Wouldn't have gone drinking... wouldn't have killed the baby and his mom.

"Of course I did, baby-"

"Then why did you do it, daddy?" Naruto cried, his lips trembling as tears fell down his cheeks, wanting so badly to look at the man, this strange person before him, but unable to lift his head.

"Because...because I was stupid." he answered, placing his big hands on Naruto's own. "I didn't know what a gift I was given. I was a stupid idiotic boy and if I could take it all back, I would. I messed up, Naruto, and because of that, I missed eight years of your life. Eight years that I won't be able to get back. I missed you being born," his daddy sobbed, finally sounding the way Naruto was feeling inside, "and your first words. I missed your first step and your first day of school. I missed every birthday and teaching you to ride a bike-"

"The baby won't have a birthday." Naruto whispered, rubbing at his eyes. "He won't go to school either. He won't learn to ride a bike or grow up."

"I know, baby, I know and for that I suffer more. I'll take that with me for the rest of my life, wishing for things that can't be changed. I made a mistake."

"Me, too, daddy," Naruto whispered, as he finally looked up and meeting his daddy's gaze. Unable to stop his tears from falling, to stop his world from breaking, Naruto pushed his present into his daddy's hands. "because I made you this." Without waiting for a reply, Naruto moved away from the man with the same features and ran.


End file.
